Chenille yarns and their manufacture



June 5, 1956 W- A R|CE 2,748,444

CHENILLE YARNS AND THEIR MANUFACTURE Filed NOV. 6, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4 June 5 1955 W. A. RICE Y 2,748,444

CHENILLE YARNS AND THEIR MANUFACTURE Filed Nov. e, 1955 2 sheets-sneer 2 TT-.5. f@ 24 if 5?? 7 INV TOR ATTORNEY United States Patent O CHENILLE YAnNs AND THEIR MANUFACTURE Walter A. Rice, Amsterdam, N. Y., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Mollasco Industries, Inc., Amsterdam, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 6, 1953, Serial No. 390,593

8 Claims. (Cl. 28-72) This invention relates to chenille yarns and their production and is concerned more particularly with a novel chenille yarn useful for all the usual purposes, for which conventional chenille yarns or strips of chenille fur are employed, and capable of being produced more rapidly and at less cost. In addition, the invention comprehends a method for the manufacture of the new yarn. The yarn of the invention may be advantageously employed to provide the pile of chenille carpeting and a form of the yarn suitable for such use will, accordingly, be illustrated and described in detail for purposes of explanation.

The chenille fur now used in the production of chenille carpets is made by weaving on an ordinary loom a fabric, commonly referred to as a chenille blanket, in which the warp yarns are relatively small and are drawn through the reed to provide small groups of warp ends spaced apart a distance about equal to twice the height of the pile desired and frequently including leno ends. The filling in the blanket is a heavy yarn suitable for pile elements and ordinarily of wool or of a Wool blend. After completion of the fabric, it is out lengthwise along lines lying midway between the groups of warp ends and is thus converted into a plurality of strips of chenille fur. The strips are prepared for use in carpet weaving in various ways, as, for example, by folding or pressing the lengths of filling yarn extending from opposite sides of the warp ends interlaced therewith, so that the strips are of V-section. While such strips of chenille fur are satisfactory for use in chenille fabric oor coverings, it will be apparent that the production of the strips by weaving and cutting a chenille blanket is slow and expensive and the cost is increased by the iinishing operations necessary.

The present invention is Adirected to the provision of a novel chenille yarn, which is satisfactory for use in carpet manufacture in place of strips of chenille fur and can be produced at high speed on a sewing machine of the type employed in tufting operations. The new yarn comprises a relatively bulky base yarn, which is provided with a plurality of pile elements projecting laterally from the base yarn at points spaced along it. The pile elements are made of a yam suitable for the pile in the fabric to be produced and ordinarily of wool or a wool blend. The pile yarn is ordinarily of somewhat lighter weight than the base yarn and the pile elements are held n place by end sections, which extend through the base yarn in pairs with the end sections of each pair continuous with end sections of other elements lying, respectively, on opposite sides of the pair.

In the production of the new chenille yarn, the base yarn is advanced beneath a needle, which passes a loop of pile yarn through the base yarn at spaced points, while the base yarn is under tension. As each loop is exposed beyond the base yarn, itis held by a looper, while the needle is retracted, and the loop so formed may be released uncut by the looper or may be severed by a suitable knife. The operations described are repeated, so that the 2,748,444 Patented June 5 1956 loops are passed through the base yarn at short intervals along the length of the latter.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a view in longitudinal section of a machine for producing the new yarn;

Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views on the lines 2-2 and 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a length of pile yarn, carried by a needle, prior to insertion into the base yarn; and

Figs. 5 and 6 are views in side elevation, with parts broken away, of lengths of two different forms of the new yarn.

The yarn of the invention comprises a base yarn 10, which is preferably relatively large and bulky and ismade of a plurality of singles components plied together with a relatively low ply twist. The components of the base yarn may be spun from stock of any suitable liber, such as wool, wool blends, jute, cotton, etc., and the yarn does not require dyeing.

The base yarn carries a plurality of pile elements made of a pile yarn 1l., which is of smaller size than the base yarn and is preferably made of a plurality of singles cornponents plied together. The components of the pile yarn may be spun from any fibrous stock commonly employed in pile yarns, such as wool, wool blends containing synthetic. fibers, etc. The pile elements project laterally from the base yarn at the points spaced along the latter in a row and may be pile loops 12 or pile tufts 13 produced by cutting pile loops. The pile elements have end sections 14, which extend through the base yarn and lie in contact within the latter. Each end section 14 is connected to the adjacent end section along the base yarn by a length 15 of the pile yarn, which lies snugly against the surface of the base yarn.

The new yarn may be made most conveniently on a sewing machine of the type used for tufting purposes and having a plurality of needles. In such a machine, a plurality of ends of base yarn lll are drawn from respective supply rolls 16 and pass side by side over the bed plate 17 of the machine and through a suitable tension device 1S. The device may include a bottom plate 19a resting on the bed plate and a top plate 19b pressed toward the bottom plate by a plurality of springs 20 encircling posts 2l threaded into the bed plate and extending through openings in theV plates l9a, l9b. Each spring bears at one end on plate 19b and at the other against a washer 22 beneath a nut 23 on the threaded upper end of the post. From the tension device, each base yarn passes through an individual guide 24 mounted on top of the throat plate 25. The throat plate has a plurality of elongated slots 26, over which the respective yarns travel on their way to a pair of rolls 27, 28, which grip and advance the yarns. The slots 26 in the throat plate have downwardly convergent walls, as shown, and, in their travel over the slots, the yarns pass beneath a presser foot 29. t

Between its guide and the presser foot, each yarn passes beneath a needle 34), which lies above a slot 26 inthe throat plate. -The needles are carriedbya needle bar reciprocated vertically in the operation' of the machine and each needle is supplied with pile yarn 11 from a supply package 31. A looper 32 is mounted beneath each slot 26 to cooperate with a needle 30. The loopers 32 are of conventional construction and they are mounted on a rock shaft 33 actuated by means acting on crank arm 34. Each looper has a hook 32a at its upper end for insertion between its needle and the loop of pile yarn carried by the needle through the base yarn. The machine shown is also provided with a knife 35 for cutting the successive loops engaged and held by each looper and the knives are mounted on respective arms 36 attached to a shaft 37,

which is. rocked at the appropriate time by an arm 38 to cause the knives to cooperate with the loopers to sever the loops thereon.

The finished yarn issuing from between rolls 27, 28 is passed around a guide roll 39- and is then wound into a package 40 on a mandrel 41. The mandrel rests upon a driven roll 42 and its ends are guided between vertical guides 43.

In the operation of the sewing machine, a plurality of base yarns are simultaneously drawn from their respective supply packages by the rolls 27, 2S and the yarns are individually maintained under tension by the tension device 13. Upon each downward movement of the needle bar, the needles 30 pass loops 12 of the pile yarn through the. base yarns and, as a base yarn is penetrated by its needle, it moves downward slightly and is sustained by the side Walls of `its slot 26 in the throat plate. While the needle .is projecting through the base yarn, its looper enters the loopV of pile yarn, which has been inserted by the needle,rand, as the needle is retracted, the iooper holds the loop. As the needle rises, the base yarn is prevented from rising with it by the presser foot. After the base yarn has advanced, the desired distance, the needle again passes a loop through the base yarn, and the length of pile yarn, which lies against the upper surface of the base yarn and connects the new loop to the old one, is drawn taut, since the old loopl is retained by the looper until the new loop has been inserted. Upon insertion of the new loop, the old loop is severed or released by the loop, depending upon whether the yarn produced is to have pile elements in the form of pile tufts or pile loops.

It will be apparent that the new chenille yarn can be produced rapidly and at low cost by the operations described. Multi-needle sewing machines having a large number of needles are commercially available and require little mo-dication to carry on the production of the new yarn. Such sewing machines are capable of adjustment, so that the length` of the pile elements can be varied as desired and the machines can make many moreV stitches per minute than the number of picks of filling, which can be inserted by a loom weaving a chenille blanket. Also, such a sewing machine may have many more needles than the number of strips of fur, which can be obtained from a chenille blanket made on a loom ordinarily used for weaving such a fabric. The new yarn can thus be produced more rapidly than strips of chenille fur and it can be used at once and without premilinary finishing operations.

' Another advantage of the new yarn is that it can be used in the manufacture of chenille carpeting to produce a pile, in which the pile elements are loops. Because of the manner in which it is made, chenille fur produces a pile fabric having a cut vpile surface. The use of the new yarn thus makes it possible to provide chenille carpeting-with a surface appearance not obtainable heretofore.

I claim; y 1. A chenille yarn, which comprises a base yarn and lengths of. pile yarn mounted on the base yarn in a row lengthwise of the latter, each length of pile yarn having an intermediate portion lying against the side of the base yarn and endsections extending through the base yarn and projecting beyond the opposite side thereof to provide tuft legs.

2. A chenille yarn, which comprises a base yarn and lengths of pile yarn mounted on the base yarn .in a row lengthwise of the latter, each length of pile yarn having an intermediate portion lying against the side of the base yarn and end sections extending through the base yarn and projecting beyond the opposite side thereof to provide tuft legs, the adjacent end sections of successive lengths of pile yarn extending through the base yarn in Contact with each other.

3. A chenille yarn, which comprises a base yarn plied of a plurality of singles strands and lengths of pile yarn mounted on the base yarn in a row lengthwise of thev latter, each length of pile yarn having an intermediate portion lying against the side of the base yarn and` end sections extending through the base yarn and projecting beyond the opposite side thereof to provide tuft legs.

4. A chenille yarn, which comprises a relatively heavy base yarn and lengths of a pile yarn of lighter weight mounted on the base yarn in a low lengthwise of the latter, each length of pile yarn having an intermediate portion lying against the side of the base yarn and end sections extending. through the base yarn and projecting beyond the opposite side thereof to provide tuft legs.

5. A chenille yarn, which comprises a base yarn and pile elements of yarn projecting lateraly from the base yarn at points spaced along the base yarn, the pile elements being held in place by end sections extending through the base yarn with a pair of end sections lying in contact Within the base yarn at each point, the end sections of each` such pair being continuous with end sections lying, respectively, on opposite sides of said pair.

6. A method of making a chenille yarn, which cornprises drawing a base yarn from a source of supply, passing loops of a continuous pile yarn through the base yarn at relatively Short intervals and drawing the pile yarn snugly against the base yarn between adjacent loops, and severing the loops.

7. A method of making a chenille yarn, which comprises drawing a base yarn from a source of supply while maintaining the yarn under tension, passing loops of a continuous pile yarn through the base yarn at relatively short intervals, while supporting the base yarn at opposite sides, and drawing the pile yarn snugly against the base yarn in front of each loop, as the latter is inserted.

8. A method of making a chenille yarn, which comprises drawing a base yarn from a source of supply while maintaining the yarn under tension, passing a first loop of a continuous pile yarn through the base yarn, while supporting the base yarn at opposite sides, passing a second loop of said pile yarn through the base yarn, while holding said rst loop, whereby the section of said pile yarn between said loops is drawn snugly against the base yarn.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,773,580 Franke Aug. 19, 1930 1,909,530 Gla-dish May 16, 1933 1,935,302 Waite Nov. 14, 1933 2,411,268 Hamrick Nov. 19, 1946 2,679,218 Jones May 25, 1954 Y FOREIGN PATENTS 20,309 Great Britain of 1897 848,073 Germany Sept. 1, 1952 

